Lee University partners with Project Inspire teacher residency program
Students exit the Helen DeVos College of Education on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Photo by Kimberly Sebring
Lee University is partnering with Project Inspire, a Chattanooga-based teacher residency program, to transform the local school system from the inside out.
Project Inspire will expand to include a new collaboration with the Helen DeVos College of Education in training elementary school teachers. The program will allow college graduates to earn a master’s degree in education and teacher licensure as they learn alongside an experienced teacher in the classroom, according to a media release.
This partnership is also the first formal partnership between the College of Education and the Hamilton County Department of Education, according to Dr. Bill Estes, dean of Lee’s college of education.
“It’s a perfect partnership from beginning to end, so I don’t think we fear anything. We’re all in,” Estes said.
As the higher-education partner for Project Inspire, Lee University will offer a 14-month degree program specifically tailored for the needs of residents, culminating in a Masters of Arts in Teaching. Residents will also benefit from mentoring both by Hamilton County Department of Education faculty members and Lee University supervisors, according to the release.
Mark Neal, director of Project Inspire, hopes the new extension of the program will double the recruitment of new teachers in the Hamilton County public school system.
“At its heart, the expansion of Project Inspire is about opportunity and access,” Neal said in a media release. “We will increase our community’s access to a diverse stream of potential teachers, our schools’ access to playing a key role in teacher preparation, and our students’ access to committed, well-prepared educators.”
In the past five years, Lee University has recommended over 750 candidates to Tennessee for licensure in over 31 areas of teaching, according to the release. Starting this year, about 20 education graduate students will receive training in Hamilton County elementary schools, Estes said.
Sophomore education student Rachel Leidemann aspires to be a teacher in the future and believes the Project Inspire partnership will help ease students into teaching.
“I think this is a good program to have because, as you’re going through your teaching experience those first few years, it’s really nice to have someone who has done it for a while come alongside you and help you,” Leidemann said. “Being an undergrad can’t entirely prepare you for all the problems you could face, so it’s nice to have someone there to ask questions and touch base with.”
HCDE’s Interim Superintendent Dr. Kirk Kelly believes that programs like Project Inspire give a real sense of the community the residents may one day serve.
“We are thrilled this expansion of the program means soon even more of our students will benefit from an outstanding teacher in the classroom,” Kelly said in the release.
Project Inspire was developed in close partnership with the HCDE to meet the specific needs of local students. The expansion of the program will help address the need to build strong foundations to ensure that more students are engaged and reading on grade level by the third grade.
Project Inspire is also part of an approach to attract and retain great teachers and leaders into Hamilton County priority schools in order to close the achievement gap between low-income students and their peers, according to the release.
“Hamilton County wants good teachers, and those are hard to find,” Estes said. “Project Inspire wants to improve education in the most difficult parts of Hamilton County Schools. For Lee, I mean, this is what we do. It’s a service.”
Individuals interested in earning a teaching license in elementary education, secondary math or science and committed to making a difference in high-need Hamilton County schools are encouraged to apply by February 27, 2017. More information can be found at projectinspiretn.org.
